friends in my heart
by aikotters
Summary: Ichijouji Ken, Takaishi Takeru, and their families share a few moments.


_Warnings: Innuendo_

* * *

"Why did you have three kids?"

Takeru was too old to ask this question but he still did, just out of curiosity.

Ken responded by sipping his coffee. "Because we wanted to."

"Even now?" Takeru dared to glance towards the apartment that was too big for him and Hirose (and sometimes his wife), but since it wasn't theirs there was more than enough space.

Granted he was a novelist, a stay at home dad for one kid who was generally quiet and kept to himself, and even that overwhelmed him. For every night Miyako and Ken had likely stayed up with screaming babies, Takeru had talked Hirose down from nearly insane theories of their intentions or nearly catatonic panic attacks, or more, or so much more.

Guilt sometimes wormed his way into his heart. But not regret. Never regret.

"Even now," he asked, watching Miya hissing something at her brother that made him cry out in upset.

Ken sighed and rose from his seat. "Even now." He went to break them up, and all Takeru could think of was Daisuke and Jun.

Which both of them would be fussed about he was sure of it.

* * *

Miyako had hugged him when he'd brought lunch over that morning which if that didn't give him an idea of the situation, what would?

"They're all a bit up in arms," Miyako had told him, hair tied up, computer bag on the floor, clearly about to leave and thank him for his service. "Miya's partner got dyed yellow."

"... How?" His science class in high school had been trying to dye Patamon pink for three solid years (to Patamon's eventual chagrin). His partner shuddered on his shoulder, as his head had gotten a little too unruly as he'd gotten older.

"Ask Daisuke, his son did it," Miyako said with a shrug. Hawkmon made a noise like a sputtering laugh. And then the two of them whirled past him and nearly into Hirose who had been hovering anxiously by the stairs of their apartment. The boy yelped and Takeru's heart leaped into his throat. The Tokomon was at his heels and glowing yellow by the time Takeru and Patamon made it outside.

Hawkmon looked amused, which was a really stupid idea, because that had been a Lucemon once upon a time. And this was a kid whose sheer desperation to get out had caused him to make deadly bubbles. But that was mostly confidential.

"Hirose," Takeru called. "Up here."

The blonde's face snapped to look at him and though his frown didn't leave his face, something in his eyes gave, and he gave Miyako a quick bow and hurried up the stairs. Tokomon stuck his tongue out at her as they fled. Miyako shot Takeru a puzzled look and Takeru tried to smile it off.

He failed.

"It's a long story."

* * *

Hence why he wasn't surprised his son was stubbornly curled around his chest, hiding his face in distaste at the sheer amount of sound and color in front of him.

"My brother's house is still open."

Hirose glared at him, which at the tender age of eight was about as functionally intimidating as a marshmallow. No wonder none of the digimon had taken him seriously. "'m fine."

Takeru smiled back at him. "All righty."

Ken sat back down a few moments later with a slightly exaggerated heaving of his limbs and body. Hirose twiched, but he wasn't flinching. Takeru counted it as an improvement.

"Sorry," Ken said, shaking his head. "They're just…"

"Taking after their mom, dad, and uncle," Takeru finished, taking a bit of sly pleasure in the way Ken's pale face flushed with embarrassment. "Mischief's good for kids."

This did not help Ken's face any and Takeru took to that with an extra bit of glee.

Sometimes, Ken wondered if Takeru remembered high school in a way they didn't, a way that made him think of them fondly and with love still, even after the very acute way they'd failed to protect each other. That it had just been a vacation they'd taken without him or Hikari-san and they never wanted to talk about.

But looking at Takeru's eyes, burning blue and falsely serene, Ken knew it wasn't, and knew he didn't. He just chose to be happy, was choosing to present the face of a brave, strong adult for the frightened child close enough to fall into his lap if he chose, but not brave enough to try.

Ken decided not to worry about it, and smiled at Hirose. "You're looking well today, Hirose," he said, inwardly cursing the utter lack of tact. Daisuke really had rubbed off on him too much.

The boy looked at him with eyes like his father, but infinitely more cautious. "Thank you Mr. Ichijouji," he said. "I've eaten more lately."

"I'm glad to hear it." He was, and not just saying it. The boy's face looked much less skeletal, and his grip on Takeru was not nearly as bruising.

Hirose stared at him for a few moments more, as if gauging his sincerity. Then he nodded again and looked away, as Miya and Tori simmered down from what happened with a seven-year old lost a fight when a three-year-old. His shoulders slumped. "Tired."

"Hi tired, I'm dad," Takeru said before he could stop himself.

Ken took sympathy on Hirose and groaned for him.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," his wife warned him.

Daisuke laughed. "I'm full of those. Just trust me, we'll make it work, won't we Daichi?"

For once, his normal ball of sunshine son pouted, disagreeing down to the balls of his feet. "No, dad. You suck."

Daisuke resisted the urge to ask the seven year old what he sucked because the kid would probably give a smart ass answer and while that was funny, even Rhythm might kill him for it. This was his kid, he raised actual genius and not people like Ken who just knew stuff.

"I'm sure I do on some level," he agreed, and okay, he met good parenting skills and his charming personality about halfway. "But you're still going. Because if your mom has to hear you complain about being bored much longer she'll punt me into the dumpster and you into daycare and I don't think you're safe for day care."

Daichi shuddered. "So many nose crayons…"

"There's the self-preservation I never taught you." He poked his son in the shoulder. "Jacket on, sprog. You're not getting a cold on purpose to sneeze on Tori. I'm pretty sure Ken will give us his disappointed face if you do."

Daichi made a face. "Miya threw Chibimon out the window, dad! I don't wanna see her."

"I'm honestly impressed she pitched him that far."

Daichi let out his patented child screech of unholy terror, body almost buzzing at the lack of sympathy.

Daisuke, having spent his entire childhood surrounded by a sister who was so much like him she had even given him her desperate desire to hog the bathroom for a solid ninety minutes and would screech unholy terror at the idea of being yanked out of bed before seven in the morning on the dot, did not so much as twitch. "Try harder, sprog."

Daichi threw up his hands in despair and put on his jacket.

Daisuke grinned at his wife. She rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Daisuke's coming. he should be here in ten minutes."

Hirose shifted. "Loud guy?"

Ken raised an eyebrow and Takeru laughed. "One of them. Don't confuse him with Taichi-san now." Hirose nodded, but did not scoot away. Takeru turned his head towards Ken. "Aren't Miya and Daichi fighting?"

Ken nodded his head in a playful sort of sobriety. "Yes, a long standing feud over the inevitable who gets to hug the Yagami first is a major test of any one of our family."

Takeru almost coughed up his trachea. "I wish I had been less oblivious to that. The sheer blackmail we gave Hikari-chan must have given her ulcers."

"Probably." Ken tapped his tablet screen for a moment, smiling as Wormmon made his way onto his shoulder. "Should we ask Hikari-san if Kei-kun is free? I know he's got a lot of appointments this week. It might do him some good to have some fresh friend air."

"I'll check with her. Noriko will probably agree to it on the condition we film the chaos." Takeru pulled out his phone but paused as Hirose's fingers closed around his wrist. "What's up, bud?"

Hirose just looked at him, face pink and eyes hooded. "Kei is…?"

Takeru hesitated. Hirose vaguely remembered hurting someone. He might even remember Kei, who had tried to eagerly visit him in the hospital at least seven times but was rebuffed by social workers with fond exasperation as they were answered by patented Yagami rule breaking natural law. But how much stress would that be? They hadn't risked it yet in an enclosed space. "Maybe that's not a good idea," he began.

To his surprise, Hirose shook his head. "It's ok. 'M fine."

Takeru didn't know what his face looked like but the way Ken was grinning like a loon told him it must have been stupidly adoring. "We can leave whenever," he promised but dialed anyway.

Hirose nodded and Patamon gently batted his Tokomon onto the floor. Tokomon shrieked and leaped on him.

Poromon and Leafmon seemed to think this was great fun and hopped into the fray.

Ken watched Wormmon sigh sleepily and begin his much longer journey to the floor.

Hirose laughed.

It was small, it was on Takeru's sweater, but it was a laugh. He'd take it.

Ken glanced at him, a softer smile on his face. Takeru smiled back and tapped his hand.

"It's worth it," he said. "Every second."

"Even the awful ones," Ken agreed.

* * *

_**A/N:** _Hooray it's done! This was a prize for MissAnonymoushp but I haven't seen her in ages. Apologies for it not being shippy! It just ended up being a bunch of fluff! Anyway I hope you all enjoy it!


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